High-Pressure Hot Stage Cell for Optical Microscopy : in situ Ovservation of Texture of Liquid Crystals under Hydrostatic Pressure

Abstract

High-pressure hot stage system for optical microscopy was developed for the in situ observation of texture of liquid crystals and polymers under hydrostatic pressures up to 300 MPa. The high pressure optical cell has two sapphire windows of 5mm in diameter at the top and bottom of the cell, and is heated from room temperature to about 250℃. The spherullitic growth of the crystal polymorph of a dimesogenic liquid crystal compound was observed clearly on cooling at 100 and 150 MPa.